Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-08-07
FOR MECHANICS.
MAJOR sINoNss ApDsRss BEFORE rHR
COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE.
He Urges the City to Endorse tao Ne.
ohanics Institute Bonds for an
Industrial Institute.

Major W. r. Simons recently APP
poared before the Finance Committee
of tho City Council in behalf Of the
Virginia Mechanics Institute. of which
he is treasurer, and in the following
clear, sensible, aud argumentativo nd
dress urged the importance Of the city's
lending this institution helping hand
Gentlemen, 1t is q gencralIy-ad-
mitted fact that the advancement and
prosperity Of our city must in the fu-
ture depend in a great measure upon
the succCsS Of her manufactures and
each and every person engaged in
mechanical business contributes his or
her share towards The general welfare
and prosperity Of the whole city and
The prosperity OF the city as a whole is
simply the sum total of the results Of
individual oxortion. for the failure of
any one manufacturer operates as OH
injury to the city. and the success of
each one contributes to the general
welfare, metaphorically speaking, to
he stored in the public garner, from
which each and every one may draw
according to his efforts and merits.
A PROGRESSIVE AGE.
Now, we are aware that this is pro-
Crcssiyc aGe, and to be successful means
10 he vide awake-alive and up with
the times. Some years ago manufGcta-
rors were comparatively unknown TO
the public; they were controlled aud
dictated to by the Jobber they were
not even allowed TO put their imprint
or trademark on their own products,
and To find ont who made certain goods
it was necessary TO ascertain from the
jolbcr, for even the retail dealer could
rarely give yon the desired information.
Put this system of dealing is under
going a change, and the days OF the
"n,iddle man or "jobber" are fast
passing away. The original producer
or manufacturer sends out his travelling
salesman and sells direct to the retailer,
VITO distributes TO the public for con-
SUMPTION. Consequently tho manu-
fac,urcr becomes known to the public.
Lui this system OF dealing directly
between the manufacturer and retailer
has brought about sharp competition
between manufacturers, and each one
necessarily cndcavors to make his
goods as attractive and salable as pos
sihlc. and IN his efforts to achieve sue
cess is brought face TO face with three
cousiderations-viz., price, quality, and
appearances. Now the price of an
article is governed in great measure
by the quality and appearance of it.
10 produce fine work it is necessary to
employ skilled wOrkmen and no mat
ter low good the quality of aa article
is, 10 make IL salable ii has TO be more
or less ornamented and beautliied, for
the aesthetic tastes and ideas of the
present age demand it !; and the manu-
facturcr las to comply with these de-
mands or lie viii soon find that he is
being left in The race. Now every
manufacturer knows that the art of or
namontine goods not only requires
skilled labor, but high order of
skilled labor.
We. your petitioners, are mostly me-
chanics, and ere not only DESTROYS OF
making q success of our own enter
prises. but are anxioos to do our part
towards fostering and developing the
general mechanical interests of the
whole city. Our experience and ne
ccssities force rs TO recognize the great
want of skilled labor in our midst. To
say that we have no skilled labor would
be a great error, for we have many fine
mechanics in this city, equal to any
elsewhere, but We have not enough of
Al "a, hot al
majority of boys who start out as APP
prentices to learn trade are forced to
do 80 by necessity, and consequently
commence very young and generally
without much education, and 1t IS
difficult matter for boy to become a
stiIlcd workman unless he has some
education.
OBJECTS or THE INSTITUTE.
Recognizing these facts, your peti-
TONERS conceived the idea OF organizing
a mechanics institute, the primary OBJ
iect Of which is TO provide the means
Of education to large class of boys
our apprentices--who are compelled TO
work in the daytime and have no means
of obtaining an education except from
a night school but the character OF
tbe instructions which We propose to
give is of a nature that cannot be OBJ
tanned from any other Institution OF
learning in our city, even If they could
attend the day schools. II is school
of technology, peculiarly adapted to
qualify the pupils for mechanical pur-
suits. The theory of mechanics to be
1 al. 1
the actual practice mt the workbench,
enables the boy TO make n master work
man of himself.
Another object of our institute Is to
hold annual industrial exhibitions OF
such character as to be III themselves
schools of mechanical instruction, by
bringing together from every source
and putting in operation scientific ana
mechanical apparatus adapted to dit
ferent purposes. | merely state these
as the primary objects of the institute,
that it viii be a fruitful source OF bene-
its to the public in many ways; For
instance We have already made con
siderable progress toward the establish
mept of q library, composed chiefly OF
books bearing upon scientific and me-
chanical subjects. which, necessarily
from their character, are too expensive
to be procured by people OF limited
means.
We also contemplate having each
winter series of scientific lectures,
which will be both interesting and IN
structive.
WHAT IS ASKED FOR.
As TO the object Of our visit we camo
here to explain to you, as representa-
tives of the city, the propositions en-
braced in our memorial
In the first place, we do not ask the
CITY Council to make any speciic APP
propriation whatever, but only ask
loan of the city's credit to the extent re-
CURED for our purposes. We come not
Ia the spirit OF q mendicant nor OF one
seeking personal advantages, but Only
ask 10 be aided in our efforts IN behait
of that class OF the community whicn
no CITY can afford to ignore-.viz., our
mechanics-ihe producers OF the wealth
of the city. -. 49,, ,rr.